Metropolitan police officers are vulnerable to corruption because of a policy that allows them to accept cash and other inducements, a report has found.
Inspectors said that cash gifts from members of the public were “unacceptable” and called for an overhaul of the Met’s gifts and hospitality policy.
The review of corruption by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services found there would theoretically be “no breach” of Met policy if an officer received a substantial cash gift, declared it and it was approved by a supervisor.
“It would be difficult to envisage any circumstances in which it would be right and proper for police officers and staff to accept gifts of cash,” inspectors said.
“Recognising the need to maintain public confidence in policing, we consider the safest position for the police service to adopt would be an unambiguous policy that precludes the acceptance of cash gifts.”
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The report warned that the Met’s record-keeping of gifts and hospitality was generally “poor” and meant more than 2,000 warrant cards of officers who had left the force were unaccounted for. The force’s handling of exhibits was a “bit of a shambles”, according to Matt Parr, the inspector in charge of the review, with hundreds of missing items raising the risk some had been stolen by police.
It also found that procedures for rooting out corrupt officers and staff were “fundamentally flawed” and “not fit for purpose”. Parr said that the Met had a “degree of indifference” to the risk of corruption.
Kit Malthouse, the policing minister, said the conclusions were “troubling and alarming”.
The report “comes at a time when the Metropolitan Police is under intense scrutiny”, Malthouse said, adding: “I have found myself at the dispatch box discussing the force’s culture and standards all too frequently in recent months.”
The Met is attempting to win back public confidence after a series of scandals including the abduction, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by a police officer.